FIRST DEPUTY PM MEETS MS FENG MIN KAN

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ The First Deputy Premier of Mongolia D.Terbishdagva Wednesday received visiting Ms Feng Min Kan, a special adviser to the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Disaster Risk Reduction. Mr Terbishdagva pointed out that although the number of disaster-related mortality has declined in Asia-Pacific region in last decade, loss and damage to economy, nature and ecology have been increasing. Mongolia has unique features of nature and weather due to its continental climate, so the country always faces the disasters such as drought, dzud, livestock diseases, steppe and forests fires which rarely happen in Asia-Pacific region. Thus, Mongolia is focusing big attention to working out anti-disaster actions, correlating it with a developmental policy and strategy and having its public gain knowledge on disaster reduction, he said. Mr Terbishdagva said the Mongolian government is ready to collaborate with the UN Special Representative in disaster reduction activities and various measures combating disasters. Expressing thanks to the First Deputy Premier for attaching a great importance to reducing disaster reduction and its risk matters, Ms Feng highlighted that state-run and private organizations in Mongolia have gained achievements in disaster reducing capability and understanding compared with the date of 2002 when the UN render humanitarian assistance to Mongolia during dzud disaster. Ms Feng said she has held meetings with authorities of several Ministries of Mongolia, and agreed with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to hold a joint workshop within the “Creation of potential city” programme. During the meeting, Ms Feng invited the First Deputy Premier to participate in the 6th Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction to be held June in Thailand, and in the World Forum on Disaster Reduction which is scheduled in March of 2015 in Japan. At the end of the meeting, Ms Feng expressed a willingness of the UN Special Representative to host the 7th Conference of Asian Ministers in 2016 in Ulaanbaatar city.